Lenovo’s website has been hacked merely a week after it was revealed that the company had pre-installed Superfish adware that left users with a huge security hole in their laptops.
The news that the company’s website has been hacked further highlights the lack of security that Lenovo has demonstrated over the past few weeks.
Of course, the hack of the company’s website and the Superfish scandal are most likely related. It is suggested that the hack was performed by the Lizard Squad hacking group that has been behind hacks of the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live and even the North Korean government. The hack is reportedly in retaliation to the Superfish incident from last week, after which Lenovo issued an apology and software to have the Superfish adware removed.
The blow to Lenovo‘s website comes at a terrible time for the company, as customer trust is already damaged by the Superfish incident. Lenovo has not made any comments since its website was hacked.
Besides obviously ensuring that Lenovo does not suffer any more security breaches, there are a number of things that the company needs to do.
One of these things would be to start removing bloatware and unnecessary software from its computers, which is thankfully something that the company has pledged to do. The company said that it would immediately start removing such software, with the goal of completing this process by the time Windows 10 is released to the public later this year.
“By the time we launch our Windows 10 products, our standard image will only include the operating system and related software, software required to make hardware work well (for example, when we include unique hardware in our devices, like a 3D camera), security software and Lenovo applications,” said the company in a statement.
The company will also be providing explanations for each of the third-party applications and services that are pre-installed on its laptops, which is another step forward.
Another thing that Lenovo should consider is getting a security audit of its systems and products. While this would likely cost time and money, getting a third-party expert in the field could seriously boost customer trust, especially as customers are less likely to believe Lenovo, even if the company does say that its products will be secure from now on.
Only time will tell if Lenovo’s security troubles affect the company’s stock or sales. However, Lenovo has a chance to regain the trust of its customers if it acts quickly, something that will be crucial going forward.
Photo Credit: Joe Raedle | Getty Images
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